Oh, settle down: this is an adult blog, after all.
I’ve checked: that is not a gag. A Lithuanian potato chip company has launched a line of flavored chips aimed exclusively at 18-year-olds and older. CHAZZ potato chips come in flavors like mussels, white wine, and Bloody Mary, but it’s the flavor above that is stirring up controversy. I’m not kidding!
I see no reason why someone won’t launch these chips or the equivalent here. Would that be unethical, vulgarizing the culture? Corrupting the young? Nobody accused Bertie Botts’ Jelly Beans of such an offense, and they have just about every flavor except sex-related ones. I presume conservatives would flip out over this product; Ron DeSantis would probably try to get it banned in Florida. Good luck with that.
I must admit, I’m shocked…shocked that Lithuania beat the good ol’ entrepreneurial U.S.A. in coming up with this.
Ethics Alarms 
Oh my!!!
What do you mean by that?
I’m shocked that anyone would come up with that!
This reminds me of that joke:
A man invented a cookie that tasted like pussy. He took the cookie to his buddy to get him to try it. The friend took one bite of it, and spit it out.
The friend yelled, “this cookie tastes like shit.” The man calmly says, “then flip it over.”
I hope the chips don’t have the same problem.
I think this one says it best, “TOO gross!”
Never let it be said that Ethics Alarms research doesn’t range far and wide….
Did they consult with Gwyneth Paltrow? Maybe you could light one of her candles while you munch on the chips!?
Then there’s pizza or pasta puttanesca, which I believe is given a salty taste by including lots of anchovies, I think the Neopolitans have the Lithuanians beat:
From wiki: “Because “puttana” means roughly “whore” or “prostitute” and puttanesca is an adjective derived from that word, there is a theory that the dish was invented in one of many bordellos in the Naples working-class neighborhood of Quartieri Spagnoli.”
I always assumed the anchovies were salty like a whore’s … pudendum, to use the correct Chaucerian term I learned in English 21, back when they were still teaching dead white guys.
Supposedly it was invented by prostitutes because the distinctive smell could attract customers. It can also be made without the use of fresh ingredients, so it’s a sauce for when they’re not available. It’s tomato-based (canned tomatoes), with garlic, black olives, capers, anchovies, and crushed red pepper flakes. It’s definitely salty and spicy, I’d actually even describe it as on the hot side, depending on how much red pepper and what if any other spices you use. It is definitely something with a VERY powerful aroma, there’s no missing it. I always thought the prostitute comparison was because of the spiciness, i.e. hot and spicy women. I guess you could make the comparison of the salty taste of… oral pleasuring, but there’s no way any restaurant of commercial entity is going to mention that.
It has anchovies. Must be awful. Fish? I hate fish. All fish. Of every kind. Call me a philistine . . .
jvb
Anchovies are simply a salt delivery system, John. As are potato chips and their ilk.
All right, I’ll oblige — you’re a philistine.
And besides that, you miss out on the glorious epitome of fish products — Fish Sticks! The most wonderful fish of all time!
I always liked the commercial that had a mom wondering — what part of the fish do sticks come from? (obvious answer — the good part)
“I guess you could make the comparison of the salty taste of… oral pleasuring, but there’s no way any restaurant of commercial entity is going to mention that.” Which is what’s always made it so entertaining to me, Stefano. Ironic, no?
The “only some adults will get the full joke” dialog from the Johnny-Depp-as-a-lizard animated movie Rango, upon meeting the female character “Beans”:
Rango:
That’s a funny kind of name.
Beans:
What can I say? My daddy plum loved baked beans.
Rango:
Well you’re lucky he didn’t plum love asparagus.
Beans:
What… what’re ya saying?
Rango:
I mean, I uh… I enjoy a hearty puttanesca myself, but I’m not sure that a child would uh, appreciate the moniker.
Is this sold in grocery stores or something that you would find in an adult shop? I’m not sure its not unethical either way, but I think it would more ick if the later.
Well, what if it were sold in supermarkets?
I’m sure I could come up with something better, but I’m in the middle of trying to pass a kidney stone and I’m pretty drugged up at the moment (I keep going back and forth between pain and not pain).
I would say it’s unethical. At the very least its immoral (natural law? Divine command?). There is a reason stuff like this is only sold in over 18 shops. My guess is it protects vulnerable groups (Kant violation? Golden rule violation?). Society at large isn’t benefited by it so I think that rules out utilitarianism.
I wonder if the fact that it is not only ick but grossly ick crosses into unethical territory. I think I would like to see more on what separates ick from ethics. Certainly aren’t there some societal boundaries we shouldn’t cross?
Can a flavor be unethical??? Or even immoral?
I was thinking in more terms of its marketing/branding. I honestly have no clue if it taste as well as its claims. It’s intended to be provocative no?
I guess.
There is a lot of ick in this story. The question would be “how do you control this to be sold or consumed by 18+. Do you keep them behind the counter and card people before ringing them up.
Simple solution to that — only let it be sold in convenience stores. They have plenty of experience in age restricted merchandise.
It’s why no one in this country under 21 smokes or drinks. What could possibly go wrong?